Growing calls for transparency over Palm Springs pausing Human Rights Commission
Palm Springs residents are questioning the motive behind a temporary pause of the city's Human Rights Commission.
The Palm Springs Human Rights Commission is undergoing an overhaul and a city council member is facing scrutiny for her alleged role in that decision.
“It seemed a little bit heavy-handed and punitive, in my opinion, and that's been frustrating for me as a member of the commission,” said David Vignolo, vice chair of the PS HRC.
Vignolo is still trying to make sense of a recent shake-up to the PS HRC.
Established in 1994. the HRC’s current mission statement explains it is meant to “promote and protect the diversity of our community and to improve human relations through education and community awareness.”
In June, the Palm Springs city council voted to pause all new work by the panel, directing members to only discuss its scope, processes, and goals.
A subcommittee – made up of councilmember Grace Garner and mayor Jeffrey Bernstein – is helping move things along.
“How can you be additive to what is out there already in terms of organizations and City staff as opposed to redundant,” Bernstein said during the HRC's meeting on Sept. 9.
As News Channel 3 reported in June, councilmember Christy Holstege pushed for a hiatus of the HRC.
“I remain extremely concerned that we have commissioners who potentially have violated the Brown Act,” Holstege said during the May 23 city council meeting.
The Brown Act is meant to ensure transparency in local government meetings. Vignolo said councilmembers didn’t always communicate or offer recommendations for how the HRC should conduct its work.
“The genesis of that I think stemmed from the unfortunate way our 2024 community service award process was handled,” Vignolo said.
News Channel 3 recently received a letter from the law firm Stoel Rives on behalf of a community member. It accuses Holstege of going on a “retaliatory campaign against the human rights commission and its leadership.”
The letter claims that Holstege is doing so after the HRC decided not to personally recognize her friend for work on the Coachella Valley Filipino Festival in January.
News Channel 3 reached out to Holstege for a response to the allegations made against her specifically.
In a statement, Holstege wrote:
“Palm Springs City Council unanimously determined the Human Rights Commission ordinance, which was written 30 years ago, needed updating to take into account how Human Rights, Services, and Relations Commissions have evolved over time and review how they can best serve the community. The city has done this periodically with our commissions. There were also allegations of Brown Act legal violations by the HRC, and the full council unanimously took action to review HRC processes to ensure the city is always following the law and best practices regarding ethics and transparency.”
- Palm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege
Vignolo says the HRC reached out to city leadership for guidance, but it was challenging to get it.
The letter also accuses the city of withholding information from the public related to the matter – which the city attorney has denied.
Vignolo says he agrees the ordinance that defines how the HRC operates is outdated and needs revamping, but is worried about how long the process will take.
“How we refine something set may take a little bit of time, but I think we have moved very far along,” Bernstein said on Sept. 9.
The Human Rights Comssion is now also looking at re-doing the Sept. 9 meeting because of some people not being able to access the meeting and some even stating they got locked out, but a new date has yet to be set.
